Following Chris Elliott’s talk about the influence and impact of China:
China is a strategic thinking state that is currently planning as far ahead as 2050.
Example; they are investing in sub-saharan Africa now in order to develop future supply chains; they are the biggest investor in the region, building infrastructure too; planning and building for future returns in the way that other nations are not. One reason they can plan long-term is because they know the Govt. will be the same in 50 years!
What are the impacts of climate change? How can we grow food in Africa, or elsewhere? We need to rethink how we produce, e.g.. Soil culture, eating radically less meat…
He asked the audience what they thought the biggest food-related challenge is in Bangladesh. The answer is an explosion of diabetes in there – by far their biggest health concern at present. Individual consumption has remained the same but it’s not being burned off due to lifestyle changes. Current practices include the removing the nutrients from rice.